Barbara had worn glasses since elementary school. She hated it. She remembered the taunts of the cruel schoolyard bullies well after she had graduated from high school and moved on to college. She was an attractive woman, but her family had little money. The glasses she wore had thick frames, and as such she was deemed a dork. Although the glasses were not entirely to blame--she was a skinny vegetarian, tied her long hair back into a tight pony tail, and in general had a horrible sense of fashion. She received her first kiss her senior year in high school.

She had gotten a job on the college campus, working as a barista. After saving for a few months, she finally was able to get enough money to purchase contact lenses. She was amazed at the results. With her glasses gone, she received much more male attention. She was overwhelmed and very happy. Then the plague set in.

Her boyfriend got it and died after two days of coughing and delirium. Then Barbara felt herself getting a cold. Barbara spent three days alone in her dorm room, tossing and turning in bed, coughing her lungs out. And all the while she couldn’t ignore the burning in her eyes. She couldn’t see a thing--the world was a blur. By the time she realized that she was suffering the same small fate as her boyfriend, it was too late to remove her contacts. On the third day the pressure her skull exerted on the contacts caused them to shatter, blinding Barbara. Alone, blind, and 8 inches tall, Barbara was going to have to fend for herself.